Mo Li’s fingers moved slightly, and the icy blade drew back his consciousness.
As for the matter of the dragon vein’s spiritual energy, he would contemplate it slowly after returning. First, he needed to deal with the delusional Ancestor Qingwu, who wanted to become an immortal and was on the brink of madness.
Without any warning, Mo Li made his move. The blade’s radiance was so faint that it was almost imperceptible.
Within the valley, mist and clouds shrouded everything, forming a light drizzle. Water droplets condensed on their clothes and long hair.
This single strike generated numerous tiny water droplets, and to the ears of martial arts experts, the sound of the blade slicing through the air blended perfectly with the collision of the water droplets. It was like a gentle breeze guiding the jade pendant strings on a hanging curtain as they lightly brushed across several strings of a qin, or like dewdrops falling on numerous crevices of peculiar rocks.
At first listen, the sounds seemed indistinguishable, but upon careful listening, they suddenly revealed an exquisite melody.
Ancestor Qingwu’s two disciples arrived just in time, and they only saw a mysterious expert making a move. Ancestor Qingwu and Master Meng didn’t move at all; instead, they closed their eyes and listened intently.
“Master, be careful!” the female disciple exclaimed in alarm.
Ancestor Qingwu, annoyed, gave her a stern look and simultaneously evaded the blade’s edge.
Mo Li’s first attack missed, which was expected, but he seized the initiative and continued to press forward.
Two figures darted east and west within a very limited space, leaving behind countless afterimages.
Their movements were completely silent, and they utilized every step to the fullest without making a sound. The iron whisk and the two sleeve blades did not make contact even once. Aside from the sound of the wind rustling through the treetops, the valley seemed as if no one were engaged in combat. It was nothing like the sounds of a fight.
The female disciple widened her eyes. She felt like she heard something, but after staring at the two people for a while, she suddenly felt dizzy and overwhelmed.
The masked man beside her immediately pulled her away.
Exceedingly advanced martial arts like this not only provided no benefits when observed, but also disrupted one’s mental state, causing a hundred harms and no benefits.
Originally, they had great confidence in their Master’s martial skills. However, now that they were facing not just one enemy but two, this unknown expert was able to hold his ground against Ancestor Qingwu. Had the discovery of the treasure in Emperor Li’s Tomb really attracted so many hidden martial arts experts?
The female disciple regained her senses and discreetly retreated. Another masked person immediately grabbed her.
Meng Qi raised his hand and slashed in front of her with sword energy. The female disciple was unable to stop the attack in time and almost got hit.
“Click.”
The mask was broken in half, revealing a stunningly beautiful face.
Ancestor Qingwu’s female disciple took advantage of the situation and made a frightened and helpless expression, which made people feel pity for her. She was indeed a rare beauty, but–
What greeted her was the cold sword wind.
The female disciple was so horrified that she put her hands on the ground and rolled around three times in embarrassment before she was out of range of the sword wind.
While she wasn’t genuinely trying to entice Meng Qi, she had skillfully utilized her advantage. According to common sense, when one saw a beautiful woman, their movements would inevitably slow down. That was her chance to escape, right?
How could it be directed at the face?
The female disciple hastily drew her sword, but her internal energy was mediocre, and her swordsmanship was ordinary. Even the sword she used couldn’t compare to Meng Qi’s Heartfelt Sword.
Although she might barely rank among the top martial artists in the jianghu, against Meng Qi, she could only last for three exchanges.
After three exchanges, her longsword broke with a resounding snap.
“Senior brother, save me!” The female disciple cried out in alarm.
The person wearing the puppet mask indeed rushed over and even threw a concealed weapon.
Meng Qi didn’t even look back; he exchanged his sword to his left hand.
With a wave of his robe sleeve, the concealed weapons were affected by the internal force he released and froze in mid-air.
“Hmm?”
Meng Qi noticed that one of the iron pellet-like concealed weapons was unusual.
Subconsciously, he exerted force, and with a burst of internal energy, he directly launched the concealed weapon into the air.
“Boom!”
The iron pellet exploded in mid-air, spraying countless tiny poisonous needles.
Meng Qi remained unfazed; these poisoned needles hadn’t even come close to him before they were annihilated by the inner breath circulating around his body. This small contraption couldn’t compare to the mighty power of a spring-loaded mechanism.
The female disciple couldn’t evade in time and was struck by several poison needles. She was both shocked and enraged, crawling while trying to stand up. However, the poison quickly took effect, causing her body to convulse uncontrollably.
The smell of gunpowder filled the air, and the masked person had already fled.
Meng Qi glanced back at Mo Li but ultimately didn’t chase after the fleeing figure. Instead, he picked up his sword and joined the fray against Ancestor Qingwu.
Ancestor Qingwu was quite curious about Mo Li’s swordsmanship because it gave him a faint sense of the existence of the “martial way.” Battling an opponent evenly matched in strength was originally a joyful experience, and now this opponent also had such excellent swordsmanship.
Great moves with little noise, the invisible elephant.
As a result, one of his two disciples yelled, and the other directly threw the Thunder Bead from the Thunderbolt Hall. Ancestor Qingwu was extremely angry. Then he came back to his senses and realized that something was wrong. He swiped the whisk to block the blade and the sword at the same time, and was shocked to the point where his blood boiled.
“This old man is kind to you, why are you so aggressive?”
“…”
You are about to kill the dragon vein, do you still expect the dragon vein to give you a good look?
Mo Li remained silent, and Meng Qi also learned the lesson from before and ignored the words of Ancestor Qingwu.
“I don’t believe you are willing to live such a mediocre life! How carefree and free you are at the peak of martial arts!” Ancestor Qingwu was angry.
Mo Li thought that him being able to speak meant that he and Meng Qi hadn’t forced him hard enough, so he added another 10% of his internal strength!
The blade is hidden in the dark purple sword light. The two of them do not have a tacit understanding of each other. The main reason is that they are inexperienced and their internal strength does not blend with each other, so they are in separate formations. Even though the two of them joined forces, there is a sequence to their attacks. They cannot do it together with their weapons.
Even so, it brought great trouble to Ancestor Qingwu.
What was once an effortless battle now turned into a struggle of parrying and blocking, occasionally requiring disengagement.
The blade techniques were exquisite, and the sword techniques were astounding, making it difficult to deal with either opponent.
“…I’ve already comprehensively researched the techniques to absorb spiritual energy! Now everything is ready, only the spiritual energy is missing!” Ancestor Qingwu refused to believe that Meng Qi would remain “obstinate” even after hearing the truth. His martial arts had reached its peak, and he had a clearer sense of the barrier. This was why Zhao Cangfeng had tried to convince Meng Qi and Mo Li, hoping they would understand.
He firmly believed that as long as he severed the dragon vein, he could become the legendary immortal.
Only his direct disciples and trusted confidants knew the true secret.
Everyone who learned the truth couldn’t help but yearn for it, or they admired Ancestor Qingwu deeply. He never considered the possibility that these two in front of him simply didn’t believe it.
He thought Meng Qi might have already discovered a way to utilize spiritual energy, which was why he had maintained his youthful appearance. The attack was initiated out of fear that Meng Qi coveted his techniques.
“I never expected that Master Meng would be so narrow-minded!” Ancestor Qingwu intermittently cursed.
After cursing, he would try to persuade, stubbornly wanting Meng Qi to believe that the true method of absorbing spiritual energy had been lost.
“…In this world, profound martial arts are created by individuals. So, who can practice the methods of the immortal family, as long as there is spiritual energy?”
After all, the top-notch martial artists in the martial world were naturally endowed with exceptional insight.
Ancestor Qingwu was confident in himself.
“At that time, all the heroes of the world will gather together, comprehend the mysteries of the art, exchange knowledge, and that will be the rightful way of the world!” Ancestor Qingwu stated righteously. “Besides, spiritual energy can also make crops bountiful, people live in peace and prosperity, bring peace to the land, and make the world flourish!”
“Enough!”
Mo Li couldn’t hold back any longer and angrily said, “Have you forgotten that it’s the dragon veins that emerge during times of natural and man-made disasters?”
He originally wanted to mention the incident at Silang Mountain, but since Silang Mountain had a dragon vein, Ancestor Qingwu might not even know about it. The excavation of gold mines by the Si Family Stronghold was probably not orchestrated by Ancestor Qingwu.
“When separation lasts long, it is bound to reunite; when unity lasts long, it is bound to divide! Now that chaos has persisted for a hundred years, it’s a sign that a flourishing era is coming!” Ancestor Qingwu continued fervently, “Master Meng has also led troops in battles, don’t you understand the principle that some losses are inevitable?”
“…”
This time, even Meng Qi felt like cursing someone.
Ancestor Qingwu was getting more enthusiastic in his speech, and his moves with the whisk became insufficient. His Daoist hat was cut off, and a bunch of his long hair was also sliced off by sword energy.
“Unbelievable!” Ancestor Qingwu, unable to contain his anger anymore, spoke of retreat.
He wanted to leave, but Mo Li naturally wouldn’t allow it.
The blade of the bladeless knife was inscrutable. Ancestor Qingwu finally unearthed a related experience deep in his memory. When he was young, he was also an extraordinary young hero in the martial world. Every time he heard of high-level martial artists dueling, he would rush over eagerly to witness what true martial arts looked like.
“You are the disciple of the legendary Xuanhu Divine Physician, Qin Lu!” Zhao Cangfeng stared at Mo Li intensely.
Mo Li didn’t hesitate despite his master’s identity being revealed.
The white mist gathered again with the resurgence of spiritual energy, and the humidity increased. When Meng Qi turned his head, he happened to see a droplet sliding down from Mo Li’s forehead. It hung at the corner of his eye along his dark eyelashes, as if it was about to fall but didn’t.
Anger, combined with the intense battle, had caused a slight flush on Mo Li’s cheek. His usual gentle and mild temperament had disappeared completely. At this moment, he was like a drawn sword, his gaze sharp and his edge exposed.
Meng Qi stared blankly, almost letting Ancestor Qingwu escape.
Then, he felt a moment of trance, as if his consciousness was involuntarily drifting upwards.
Scenery of mountain cliffs, valley floors, streams, and woods flashed before his “eyes,” and finally, Meng Qi felt the warmth of the sunlight on his body. Beside him, the clouds surged, and ahead was a magnificent city with dazzling golden light reflecting from the roofs of grand palaces in the north of the city.
The sound of dozens of Thunder Bead explosions from the Silang Hall rang in his ears, rumbling loudly.
In the corner of Meng Qi’s eye, he unexpectedly saw two golden beards fluttering in the wind.
Subconsciously, he reached out to grab them, but he realized that his “hand” was gone. Instead, there was a claw covered in golden scales, powerful and draconic. Shaken by the discovery, Meng Qi moved, and his enormous body immediately emerged from the sea of clouds.
“…”
Suddenly, the Sand Rat transformed into a dragon.
Could it be that the term “dragon vein” was not just a figure of speech but an actual dragon?
Meng Qi was stunned. He waved away the obstructing mist abruptly.
A golden dragon coiled in mid-air, its tail reaching Taijing, and its head resting on the mountains. A single scale on its body was as high as the city gate of Taijing.
“A dragon!”
The city’s residents heard the shouts from the streets and curiously looked out, instantly filled with terror.
In the high white clouds of the sky, there was a faint golden shadow covering the entire sky. It was enormous, complete with head and tail, unmistakably a dragon. However, due to its immense size and the obscuring mist, its appearance was not entirely clear.
“Young master, there’s a dragon in the sky!”
Golden Phoenix Young Master gazed for a while, initially thinking it was an unusual phenomenon caused by the clouds and the sun. However, the dragon’s form appeared too realistic.
“Sir, there’s a dragon outside!”
“What?”
Gong Jun, who had gotten up and walked to the window, was left dumbfounded.
In front of Xianyue Pavilion, Meng Qi lost consciousness and fell backward. Mo Li rushed to catch him.
The valley was shrouded in thick fog, making it impossible to see the sky. Seizing the opportunity, Ancestor Qingwu escaped. Mo Li wanted to pursue him, but a sudden dizzying sensation swept his consciousness away into the void.
